• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Despite having a career that dates all the way back to 1986, I'm not familiar with Ireland's Abaddon Incarnate, so I wasn't sure what to expect with their latest release. What I ended up getting is grinding, bone-crushing '90s death metal that bows low before the altars of the Swedish sound, complete with HM-2 distortion pedal abuse, while also taking some time to do some more novel things akin to Gorement and Nirvana 2002, with some Rotten Sound thrown in to make everything as disgusting as possible. There is some shocking technicality to be found in the song structures, but the band sounds most comfortable when they're straightforward and heavy just like their forebears, and while it's nothing new, they're damn good at doing it. I can't say how it compares to previous releases, but The Wretched Sermon is a skull-crushing good time.